Lakeview Farms bringing 200 jobs to area

Van Wert independent/submitted information

DELPHOS — The loss of jobs when the Reser’s Fine Foods plant in Delphos closed last summer was devastating to the community. Now a hometown business is doing something to bring good economic news back to the community.

Lakeview Farms in Delphos met Thursday with its employees to announce it will be purchasing the former Reser’s plant in order to consolidate all of its processing operations in Delphos and add approximately 200 jobs to the Delphos economy over the next three years.

“Much thought went into our decision to consolidate our food processing and move all of our production home to Delphos,” said Gene Graves, president of Lakeview Farms. “The decision just made sense.

“We are headquartered here in Delphos, we have access to a talented and skilled workforce, we can house all of our production under one roof, and we are able to acquire a facility that provides the space and technology we need to remain competitive in the marketplace,” Graves explained.

After Reser’s closed last year, Lakeview closely examined the feasibility of consolidating and moving all operations to the Delphos manufacturing facility. After nearly a year of due diligence, it became clear to Graves and his staff that this was the right decision to ensure the future of the company.

The move will also bolster the local economy, which suffered a major blow when Reser’s closed its doors.

“Frankly, this announcement could not come at a better time for the City of Delphos,” Graves said.

Reser’s, which had purchased the facility when Chef Solutions filed for bankruptcy, was the city’s second largest employer and one of the city’s biggest users of water.

Both the loss of jobs and its biggest water customer had devastating effects on the community’s economy.

“The announcement by Lakeview Farms to expand their Delphos operations and add 200 new jobs is a testament to the quality of the workforce in the region,” said Jeff Sprague, president and CEO of the Allen Economic Development Group.

“We are pleased that Lakeview Farms will continue to call Delphos home and fill a vacant facility with 200 new workers,” said John Mohr, JobsOhio president and chief investment officer. “This is a great partnership between JobsOhio, the Regional Growth Partnership, community leaders and Lakeview Farms; it was this hard work and collaborative effort that made today’s announcement a reality.”

Lakeview Farms will invest more than $12 million in the former Reser’s building in the form of capital improvements and new technology. The work to retrofit the facility will begin immediately, with renovations scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

Lakeview will be assisted by a group headed by local contractor and property owner Keith Pohlman.

As a result of the consolidation, Lakeview Farms will close its Bristol, Wis., facility.

“It’s never an easy decision to move jobs when you know it’s going to impact people’s quality of life,” Graves said.

Approximately 200 Bristol plant workers will be impacted by the move. “Their well-being and the well-being of their families is of paramount importance to us,” Graves noted. “They will be taken care of.”

Graves said he met with the Bristol staff earlier this week to tell them of the decision to close that plant. Production will continue at that plant, however, to ensure production remains uninterrupted for Lakeview customers.

Graves said a number of things were taken into consideration prior to Lakeview Farms making the decision to consolidate operations in Delphos. Those included:

• The former Reser’s facility is more than 50 percent larger than the existing Delphos and Bristol plants combined.
• The move brings all operations under one roof.
• Consolidation improves efficiencies by reducing transportation costs between Lakeview Farms’ Ohio and Wisconsin locations.
• Purchase and renovation of the Reser’s plant makes available a modern cooling spiral that will enhance production.
• The ability to purchase an existing food production facility.
• Allows Lakeview Farms to use Ohio economic development incentives through the JobsOhio program.
• Reduces overhead costs needed in order for the company to compete and grow.

Once renovations to the Delphos plant are completed, the local manufacturing employees, as well as the company’s headquarters, will relocate to the former Reser’s plant. Lakeview, which makes a number of food items, including gelatins, dips, cheese spreads, desserts and sour cream, currently employs 225 people at its Delphos manufacturing plant